Fever Dreams
by beancounter22765
Summary: Seiji's sick for the first time in years. Will anything come of it?


Fever Dreams

Seiji reluctantly opened his eyes and sat up. His throat was scratchy, and he felt a little 'off'. He lay back down and closed his eyes again. "_Maybe a cup of tea will sooth my throat. It's probably just dry. I think I hear Shiharu—Nakamura-san- in the kitchen. She should be making tea soon._"

He was so thankful for her in the mornings, especially mornings like this. Her quiet presence as she arrived to make breakfast and then wake the twins was so comforting. He imagined the scene that he had seen so many times. Nakamura-san sitting at the table with the twins, talking about plans for the day while Aoi and Akane ate. Then she would clean them up and help them get dressed.

Shiharu looked toward the bedroom door as she put the finishing touches on breakfast. Glancing over at the teapot that was steeping on the table, she placed the onigiri on plates for Aoi and Akane. Taking a deep breath, she opened the bedroom door and slipped in to wake the twins without disturbing Seiji—Matsunaga-san.

Quietly she coaxed Aoi and Akane out of the bedroom and into the kitchen. Sleepily, Akane and Aoi took their seats at the table and started eating their breakfast. Shiharu smiled at them as she set breakfast aside for Matsunaga-san and covered the teapot so it would stay warm. Akane finished quickly and started looking around for more while Aoi was only half done. "Akane, let's go pick your outfit for the day. Aoi, I'll set out your clothes so they will be ready when you finish your breakfast."

Aoi hurried to finish his breakfast and then followed Shiharu and Akane to the bathroom to get cleaned up and dressed. "Good boy, Aoi. Let's get your face washed and then get you dressed."

While Aoi and Akane put on their shoes and coats, Shiharu took one last look around to be sure everything was in order before they left for the walk to the child care center.

Hearing the front door close, Seiji finally made his way to the kitchen. Whether he had to be to work early or he could sleep in, she always prepared breakfast for him as well. "_I don't tell her enough how much I appreciate her and all she does_."

As good as the tea was, it did little to sooth the irritation in this throat. He decided to just ignore it as he prepared to leave for work.

At the station, his throat continued to bother him. Because there was no tea available, he decided to have a cup of coffee. "_That was a mistake. My throat feels worse rather than better. I wish I had a cup of tea made by Shiharu—Nakamura-san_."

During a segment they were taping, he fought against a cough. Even though he thought he had been successful in hiding it, one of his co-workers mentioned it and asked if he was okay.

During the day, Shiharu worried about Matsunaga-san and the twins. She had spent so much time helping care for sick children at the orphanage and at the child care center, she wondered if she might inadvertently spread the germs. She already felt anxious around Matsunaga-san, and she really didn't understand why she felt that way.

Matsunaga-san had been so busy recently that she hadn't seen him much. On one hand, that meant she didn't have to examine the root of her anxiety but on the other hand, she missed seeing and spending time with him. Hopefully he was getting enough rest that he would not catch and colds and flu that were going around.

Seiji hoped that the fresh air during the outdoor shoot in the park would help his throat. Instead, he took a mis-step and fell into a pond. Although he assured everyone that he was fine, the cough became more persistent with each breath.

After changing into the spare suit he kept at the office, he felt a little better. However, he was still bothered by the cough as he asked the administrative assistant to send his wet suit to the laundry. "_I'm glad I started keeping an extra suit at work. I would certainly catch a cold if I had to stay in that damp suit until I could get home to change._"

When Shiharu and the twins arrived home, Akane announced that she wanted to play 'family.' She proclaimed, "I will be the mama and Aoi will be the papa. Shiharu, you will be the daughter." Shiharu incorporated the household chores into her role as daughter. Akane pretended to make omelets for dinner. Aoi pretended to come home from work, collapsing in the doorway as he had watched his uncle Seiji do so many times.

Contemplating their play, Shiharu thought_, "Akane barely remembers her mama and papa and yet her favorite game is 'family.' I wonder if she considers our arrangement here as playing 'family'? I can just imagine her assigning the role of papa to Seiji and the role of mama to me, with she and Aoi playing the parts of daughter and son. I hope that her desire to play the game so often both here and at the Child Care Center is a testimony that we are doing something right_."

After a little while, Akane got bored with the game and wanted to watch television. The program that Akane turned on was a live broadcast with Matsunaga-san from Gashi-Raonshi Park. They tuned in just as Seiji—Matsunaga-san—fell into the pond. Shiharu worried, "_Is he really okay like he claimed? With so many colds and flu going around, it wouldn't take much for him to get sick. I'm glad he keeps an extra suit at work so he can change out of those wet clothes._" Shiharu blushed lightly at her thoughts.

Seiji's supervisor looked him over and ordered, "Go see the doctor. It's cold and flu season and you have a very important broadcast coming up in a few days. You need to be at your best."

Obediently, Seiji went to the hospital to see the doctor. He did some tests, confirming that it was just a cold and not the flu.

"I have an important broadcast in two days. Can you give me something?" Seiji asked, feeling more miserable by the minute.

"I'll give you the strongest medicine available, but you have to get plenty of rest," the doctor warned.

Waiting for his prescription to be filled, Seiji called his supervisor. "The doctor said it's only a cold. He prescribed some medicine and ordered me to rest."

"Go home and sleep. We'll see you in two days," his supervisor. "Better to rest a couple days and get well now, than try to work through it and have it last much longer."

Seiji was dragging by the time he hailed a taxi for the ride home. Settling into the seat, he realized that he did not want Shiharu—Nakamura-san—or the twins to catch his cold. He called the home phone and waited for Nakamura-san to answer.

"Hello?"

"Nakamura-san, I'm on my way home because I caught a cold. I don't want you or the twins to get it, so please arrange for them to stay at the nursery for the next two days. You won't be needed at the house during that time either."

"If you think that would be best?"

"Yes, I think it would be. I'll see you in a few days. Goodbye."

"Goodbye."

Seiji leaned back into the seat, trying to rest during the ride home. He had not felt so sick and miserable in years—actually decades. "_I think I was nine the last time I felt this bad_."

Shiharu hung up the phone slowly and considered what Matsunaga-san had just asked her to do. "_With so many children sick at the orphanage, the twins are more likely to get sick staying at the nursery. And then there's Matsunaga-san. Who will take care of him if he is really sick? I know it's disobeying his instructions, but I think it would be best to keep the twins here. I'll stay as much as I can to take care of him, too_," Shiharu decided resolutely.

Anticipating that Matsunaga-san would be home soon, she fed the twins dinner. "Let's finish dinner and get to your baths. Matsunaga-san will be home soon because he is not feeling well," Shiharu coaxed the twins.

"Sei-tan sick?" Aoi asked.

"Yes, he is so he will need to get lots of sleep. Can you be nice and quiet for him?"

"Yes," the twins chorused.

After they were finished eating, she bathed them and put them to bed. They were lulled to sleep by the soothing tone of Shiharu's voice reading them a story. She had just finished reading the story when she heard the taxi pull up in front of the house.

"_Well, time to face the consequences of my disobedience."_

It took all of Seiji's remaining energy to pay the driver and walk the short distance to the front door. He was dreading the cold, lonely, silent house. "_I have not been alone since I took custody of the twins. And this brings back unpleasant memories of the last time I was sick, nearly twenty years ago." _Seiji shivered, though he was not sure if it was from the memory or because his fever was getting worse.

Grabbing the handle of the front door, he was surprised to find it unlocked. "_It's not like Nakamura-san to forget to lock the door. I hope the twins weren't being difficult and distracting_."

Pushing open the front door, he found Nakamura-san waiting for him. "_Did I imagine that I called and told her to go and take the twins with her?_" Seiji contemplated, confused. He addressed her, "I thought I told you to go and take Aoi and Akane with you."

Apologetically Nakamura bowed her head, "I thought about it after you called, but you did not know about the illnesses at the orphanage that could affect the nursery. Rather than expose them to those illnesses or your cold, I put them to bed already. We can use a separate room for you to sleep. That way they won't catch your cold and they won't disturb your sleep. I also let the facility know that I will be home late tonight. Please excuse my disobedience."

"_She needs to go home_," Seiji mused in confusion. "_If she doesn't go home now, I don't know_…" His thoughts abandoned him along with the last of his energy and he collapsed onto the floor of the entryway.

Shiharu watched in alarm as Matsunaga-san slumped to the floor. "_I knew it. I'm glad I stayed_." "Matsunaga-san let me help you to the other bedroom," Shiharu pulled his arm around her shoulder and she wrapped her arm around his waist.

Seiji pulled away weakly, muttering, "It's no good. You really need to go home." However, instead of talking to Shiharu, he was addressing one of Akane's stuffed animals in his delirium.

"I'm over here. Please let me help you."

As Nakamura-san once again pulled him up, moving him in the direction of the other bedroom.

In his fever, Seiji rambled, "If they are already asleep, then I should go to bed as well. How nostalgic, my childhood bedroom."

"_just as I thought, I can't leave him alone like this_," Shiharu shifted his weight slightly so she could reach the knob and opened the door to the empty bedroom. Looking around the tidy room, she contemplated, "_So this is where he spent so much time alone during high school and university. He's been alone most of his life until he took in the twins_."

After helping him lie down on the bed and bring blankets from the closet, she did her best to help him get comfortable. Remembering that he had mentioned going to the doctor, she asked, "Did you take your medicine?"

"Not yet," he moaned as he settled into the mattress, trying to find a comfortable position.

Shiharu hurried back to the entryway, easily locating his briefcase and the bag he had been carrying earlier. Returning to the bedroom, "The bag you brought home, was it the medicine? Pardon me for opening it." Pulling the instructions out of the bag, she read them and remarked, "They have to be taken after a meal. I will go make you some rice pudding. That should be a sufficient meal and you should be able to handle it. It's what I make for the kids at the orphanage when they are sick. You just rest while I get it ready."

Seiji lay in his bed listening to Nakamura-san's gentle voice. His thoughts were less than coherent and tumbled randomly, _"What would I have done if she hadn't stayed? I never knew how comforting it could be to have someone around when you're sick. Just hearing her in the kitchen is making it easier for me to relax. I'll just rest a bit…" _He drifted off to sleep with thoughts of companionship and comfort swirling around his mind.

^^^_Shiharu stood in front of him with a radiant smile on her face. "Yes, Seiji-kun, I will marry you. You've made me the happiest woman in the world." Then she threw her arms around him and kissed him soundly.^^^_

Shiharu quietly moved about the kitchen, making rice pudding for Matsunaga-san. "_I'll add a little extra water to make it easier to eat. After he eats, he can take his medicine. Hopefully, then he can sleep so he'll feel better soon_," was the running commentary in her thoughts as she worked.

After dishing up the pudding, she placed it neatly on a tray and took it into the bedroom.

Placing the tray on the bedside table, she turned to Matsunaga-san, "Here, let me help you sit up. Then you can eat."

Waking from his dream, Matsunaga-san struggled to sit up. It was then that Shiharu noticed that he was still dressed in his suit.

Nervously she said, "We should change you out of your suit. You're sweating and you'll feel more comfortable in clean clothes."

Matsunaga-san looked down at himself in bewilderment, "Oh, you're right." As he worked the knot out of his tie, he shook with exhaustion wondering how he was going to manage such as daunting task as changing his clothes.

Gesturing to the bureau on the other side of the room, he murmured, "In the drawer over there…my clothes." As Nakamura-san looked through the drawer, he worked at removing his shirt which felt like an insurmountable task in his condition.

Nakamura-san held up an outfit and asked, "Is this one alright?" Turning to show him the outfit, she saw that he was slumped over, nearly falling out of bed as he struggled with his shirt. She moved swiftly across the room to assist him remove his shirt and sit up straight.

As she helped him put on a fresh shirt, it suddenly dawned on her that she was in a bedroom—on a bed- with a shirtless man. This was not one of the children at the facility. This was an adult male in his own bedroom. The pace of her heartbeat increased as she contemplated the implications of the situation. Then her mind began to wander to the next step in the process and started to short circuit altogether.

Seiji did his best to cooperate with her as she helped him put on the shirt. He reveled in the cool touch of her hands as she aligned arms and sleeves. Slowly he realized that she was blushing and appeared to be very nervous. It took him a moment to realize that she was a young woman and she was helping him, an older man, to change clothes. No wonder she was embarrassed. "I can handle it from here," he murmured softly.

Shiharu stepped out of the room briefly to allow Matsunaga-san to finish changing and to allow her heart and mind to steady. "_Why do I feel like this? What's going on with me?"_

Knocking gently on the door, she called, "Is it okay for me to come back in?"

"Yes."

She walked quickly to the bedside table and moved the tray to Seiji's lap, "Can you eat okay?"

Matsunaga-san looked from the tray to Nakamura-san and back in confusion, "You cooked? Thank you." Shakily he picked up the spoon and attempted to eat the rice pudding she had made specifically for him. As much as he wanted to eat, the tremors in his hands from the fever and exhaustion proved to be too much for him. "I'll eat later." He set down the spoon before he spilled something.

Nakamura-san contemplated several courses of action. First, she could leave and allow him to sleep. Second, she could coax him to eat despite his reluctance. Or third, she could help him eat. Because he needed to eat in order to take his medicine, she steeled herself to disobey once again.

Taking a deep breath, she picked up the spoon, scooped up a small portion of the rice pudding as said, "Matsunaga-san, please open your mouth." Surprised by her request, he did as asked.

After a brief interval, she asked, "Did you swallow properly? Let's try a little bit more." And so it went for several minutes as she fed him small bite after small bite. In the back of her mind she kept repeating, "_Just pretend it's one of the kids from the orphanage_."

"The rice pudding is delicious. But in this state, I really can't eat any more," he protested weakly. Unedited thoughts flitted about, "_Nakamura-san is the babysitter. She should not have to care for me like this. It is asking too much of her. I must not keep using her like this. I need to think of someone else who could come over and help me_."

Determining that he had eaten enough food to make taking the medicine safe, she set the tray aside and picked up the bag with the prescription. "Here's the medicine. Now you can take it properly," Shiharu stated, handing Matsunaga-san the correct dose, watching to be sure he finished all of it.

"Nakamura-san, I am sorry I have been so much trouble for you. Please hand me the bag from my phone. Wait, I mean my phone from my bag," Seiji said. His thought was, "_I just need to call Takeru. He lives nearby and he will know how to help with anything I need_."

Turning her back to him, she reached for his briefcase and began looking through it for his phone.

Seiji sat up and leaned over to see if he could help her find it faster, "I think it's behind the folder."

As Shiharu moved the folder, she saw the phone and reached in for it. At the same time, Seiji leaned a little too far and tipped out of the bed and fell against her back.

Shiharu was startled to feel the sudden weight on her back and heard a mumbled, "Sorry". Looking over her shoulder, she saw the precarious position Matsunaga-san fell into. Once again, her heart rate was increasing again. "_He's a patient_," she reprimanded herself as she evaluated the situation and determined the best course of action.

Taking a deep breath and steeling her nerves, she shifted around and started the process of helping Matsunaga-san get back into bed, where he belonged. He was so exhausted that he had little strength to help as she pushed, lifted, and pulled him back into bed. Finally, he was settled comfortably, and she straightened the blankets snuggly around him. Brushing his hair away from his face, she felt his forehead and then his cheek. Lost in thought, she unconsciously stroked his cheek gently. "_What am I doing?"_ she jolted as she realized her action.

Seiji looked at her and whispered "Sorry" as he dropped off to sleep.

She laid his phone on the stand by his bed and picked up the tray. Moving toward the door, Shiharu thought, _"I hope the medicine is effective_." As she turned to leave the room, she heard him call out in his sleep, "Pot." "_I wonder who or what he is calling for?"_ Shiharu contemplated as she closed the door.

Seiji's thoughts shifted from his childhood pet hamster, Pot, to other things.

_^^^Waking slowly to the feeling of a warm, bare back pressed securely to his equally bare chest, he tightened his arms around the soft, lithe figure as she murmured, "I love being your wife, Seiji."^^^_

Opening his eyes groggily, Seiji reached for his phone and called Takeru, who agreed he would be over in a few minutes to help his friend out.

"_I should stay a little longer to be sure that he doesn't need anything else and the twins don't wake up_," Shiharu reasoned. There was no homework or chores to occupy her, so she decided to make a thermos of tea. "_Matsunaga-san may feel the need for it when he wakes_," she decided.

She had just poured the tea into the thermos when there was a knock at the door. "_Who could it be at this hour_?" Shiharu questioned nervously.

At the door, she called out, "Who is it?"

"Hey, Shiharu-chan. It's me," came the overly loud call of Takeru.

When she opened the door to let him in, she was surprised to see that he brought his youngest sister, Mana, with him.

"Hey, Sei-chan caught a cold, huh? He called and asked me to come over. He wants me to send you home and watch the twins."

"But the twins are asleep," Shiharu protested. "And why did you bring Mana?"

While Takeru and Shiharu were talking, they did not notice that Mana slipped away. She was currently in the twins' room, waking them from their sleep, shouting, "Let's play."

Hearing the commotion from Aoi and Akane, Shiharu rushed to their room. "Sorry," Takeru muttered in her wake.

Shiharu held her arms out to Aoi and Akane, pulling them close and murmuring soft reassurances. "It's late. Why don't you three go to sleep? Mana-chan, too?" addressing the little girl as she gently rocked the twins.

"NOOO, PLAY," Mana shouted in protest.

Seiji shifted in his sleep, the voices of the little ones reaching his ears.

_^^^Gentle, passionate kisses were pulling him from sleep. "Get up, sleepyhead, you don't want to be late today. You've got that big interview today," a very pregnant Shiharu stroked his bare chest enticingly with her delicate hand.^^^_

_^^^A beaming, yet exhausted Shiharu smiled," Seiji, meet your son and daughter. What shall we name them?"^^^_

While Shiharu was dealing with the little ones, the doorbell rang again. "I'll get it," Takeru called.

"Good evening. Is Matsunaga-san home?" Oikawa inquired as he pushed his way in.

"What are you doing here?" Takeru demanded.

"Hey, Takeru, long time no see."

"Get away from me you pervert!"

"Don't praise me so, you'll make me blush," Oikawa teased.

"I'm not praising you."

The childish bickering between Takeru and Oikawa penetrated Seiji's sleep, but he thought is was the twins arguing. "_Nakamura-san will handle it_," he told himself as he rolled over and went back to sleep.

_^^^Shiharu smiled prettily as she said, "I'm so glad you're finally home. It's almost time for the school carnival. The kids are so excited for us to see everything."^^^_

_^^^"Seiji, of course you deserve the honor of Father of the Year. You have been such a good father. Always there when they needed you, despite your busy schedule. I'm so proud of our son. He will be hosting the segment as part of his internship at the station."^^^_

_^^^With a watery smile, Shiharu looked at Seiji. This was not her 'I'm-hiding-my-emotions' smile but a 'I'm-sad-but-I'm-happy-at-the-same-time' smile. The bittersweet smile of losing a daughter but gaining a son. "I can't believe our little girl is getting married today. I hope he is as good to her as you have been to me. I know she used you as the measure for her husband-to-be. You set the bar awfully high."^^^_

Hearing Takeru arguing with someone brought Shiharu out of the twins' bedroom with the three little ones in tow. There was a tense silence between Oikawa and Takeru.

"Oikawa, I'm sorry but Matsunaga-san caught a cold and he is resting," said Shiharu.

"A cold? A vulnerable Matsunaga-san is a very rare thing. I think I'll go mess with him."

"Please, don't!" Shiharu pleaded, grabbing the back of his sweater.

"It was just a joke. I'm kidding."

Takeru glowered at Oikawa. "I can't believe you are still following Sei-chan around."

"What? I'm on good terms with him."

Other than asking them to keep it down, Shiharu tuned out their argument over who knew Matsunaga-san better, until she heard Takeru mention 'Pot.'

"Wait, I hear him call out 'Pot' when he was drifting off to sleep. Who is Pot?"

Takeru explained, "Pot was a hamster that Sei-chan had when he was a kid. It was named for the shape of the spot on its back. Pot was getting old and sickly but Sei-chan's parents were seldom home so he couldn't ask them to take Pot to the vet.

"When Sei-chan sick with the flu, there was no one home to take him to the doctor. The only thing he could do was go to bed. He decided to take Pot with him. During the night, Pot died. I think that was the last time that Sei-chan was sick. No wonder he was thinking of Pot."

That information gave Shiharu something to think about later. Right now, she needed to get the little ones to sleep.

"Snack?" Akane asked, holding up a bad.

"GO OUTSIDE," Mana shouted.

Aoi just stood there looking sleepy.

"Let's stay in this room," Shiharu suggested. "Matsunaga-san caught a cold and now he needs to rest. Let's try to be very quiet so he can."

While Shiharu was trying to get Aoi, Akane, and Mana to settle down and go to sleep, Takeru and Oikawa were arguing again. As they got louder and louder, Shiharu had had enough. "_Matsunaga-san and the little ones won't be able to get any sleep with those two carrying on like that_."

Uncharacteristically, Shiharu shouted at Takeru and Oikawa, "PLEASE, JUST LEAVE."

The pair looked at her in shock and said, "Okay."

In the quiet following the departure of Oikawa, Takeru, and Mana, Shiharu put Aoi and Akane back to bed. They settled right down and did not need another story.

When all was quiet the implications of what she had done struck her. She was overcome with guilt that she had thrown Matsunaga-san's friends out of his house. "_What have I done? I had no right to throw them out like that. What will Matsunaga-san think of me?_"

Hearing stirring in Matsunaga-san's bedroom, she slipped in to check on him. Finding him awake, she knelt by his bed and told him, "Takeru was here and then Oikawa showed up. I'm sorry, Matsunaga-san, but they were being noisy, so I told them to go home. I know it was not my place. I'm really sorry."

Seiji looked at her, slightly confused. "Oikawa? I see," he said aloud. Internally he relaxed, "_Thankfully Shiharu was here to keep him away from me. I have trouble handling him on my best days_."

Shiharu continued to kneel by his bed, watching his face relax and smooth out. Standing, she took stock of the situation, "_He has settled down, the twins are asleep, and it's getting late. I guess it's time for me to go, too._"

As she turned to go, she felt a tug on the back of her sweater. Realizing that he wanted her to remain a little longer, she knelt by the bed once again. With one hand, she ran her fingers through his hair, taming it and brushing it off his face. With the other, she held his hand and rubbed small circles on the back with her thumb.

"_He had no one with him when he was sick as a child. That is so sad. I'll sit here with him for a few more minutes. I know I always felt better when my mom was close by while I was sick. It's always better when you're not alone_." Time passed all too quickly for Shiharu as she sat and gently stroked Matsunaga-san's head and hand. In a way, she really did not want to leave, but it would be inappropriate for her to remain any longer.

After Shiharu left, Seiji slipped deeper into sleep, knowing that someone cared that he wasn't feeling well.

_^^^A silver-haired Shiharu with a sad expression on her wrinkled, though still pretty face, looked down at him and stroked his brow as she said, "I will miss you so very much. You were my first and only love. I don't know how I will go on without you. What began as a tragedy with the death of your sister-in-law, ended in a long, happy life together for us. I cannot express how much I will miss you when you leave me soon."^^^_

The next morning, Seiji awoke thoroughly rested and feeling significantly better. At first, he was confused by his surroundings, but then he remembered the events of the previous day—being sick, coming home, Nakamura-san taking care of him, his dreams. "_Wait, those were dreams, weren't they? Not that I would mind a life with Shiharu—Nakamura-san_." Before he could fully process his dreams and their meaning, the door opened, and Nakamura-san stepped in.

"Good morning. I thought you would still be sleeping so I walked in without knocking. I am sorry."

"It's fine."

"How are you feeling?"

"Better. About yesterday, I only remember fragments. I didn't do or say anything weird, did I?" Seiji hoped that he had not related any of his dreams to her. That could make their employee-employer relationship very awkward.

Seiji could not decipher all of the emotions that played across Nakamura-san's face before she finally answered, "You called for Pot. Takeru told me a little about him. He must have been special for you to still think about him."

He had the feeling there was more that she wasn't telling him, but he would have to be content with her explanation. "_At least I didn't go blurting out my feelings to her. I have to admit; I wouldn't mind that future I dreamed about_."

Before either of them could say anything more, Aoi and Akane burst into the room yelling, "Sei-tan!" Seiji scooped them into his arms and gave them a great big hug.

From the corner of his eye, he could see Nakamura-san trying to hide embarrassment or some other emotion. "_Hopefully I didn't do anything that will make her want to avoid me. I would really like to make that potential future I dreamed about a reality. I'll just have to move slowly and gently but she is worth it_."

While Matsunaga-san greeted the twins, Shiharu thought about the previous day. "_Oh good, he doesn't remember my helping him change his cloths. Or when he fell out of bed onto me. In a way, that's a relief. I just wish I could stop thinking about them. He will never see me as anything other than a babysitter_." Taking a deep breath, she pulled herself together and turned to the trio.

Smiling brightly, Shiharu asked, "Is anyone up for pancakes?"

"Yeah," was heard in unison from the trio.

"Then let's go."

Seiji watched Nakamura-san move confidently around the kitchen as she prepared the batter for the pancakes. He thought, "_It was worth being sick to be cared for by her. Now I just need to make those fever dreams a reality_."


End file.
